Topic: Resilience & Mental Strength

Bo Jackson

Vincent “Bo” Jackson is widely considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time. He is the only athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both professional baseball and football, one of only a few to earn this designation in any two major sports.

Some of his most notable accolades include the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Award, an MLB All Star Game MVP award, and an NFL Pro Bowl nomination.

Jackson came to fame as a multi-talented athlete, who excelled in baseball, football, and track at an early age. Jackson turned down an offer by the New York Yankees who selected him in the second round of the MLB draft in 1982, when he was still in high school. Jackson opted instead to attend Auburn University.

At Auburn, Jackson had a strong career in both baseball and football. As a running back for Auburn’s football team, Jackson ran for 4,303 career yards, which was the fourth best performance in SEC history. Jackson finished his career with an average of 6.6 yards per carry, which set the SEC record. In 1983, Jackson led the Tigers to victory in the Sugar Bowl and was named MVP. The following year he led his team to victory in the Liberty Bowl and was named MVP once again. In 1985, Jackson was awarded the highest award in college football, the Heisman Trophy. His number, 34, is one of only three numbers retired at Auburn.

Going into professional baseball in 1986, Jackson played for three different teams, the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox, and the California Angels. He was the 1989 All-Star Game MVP, achieved four 20-home-run seasons, and tied the record for most consecutive at-bat home runs with four. In 1989, Jackson ranked fourth in the American League in both home runs, with 32, and RBI, with 105.

Jackson entered into the world of professional football when he signed with the LA Raiders in 1987. In his first season, Bo had a record-breaking 221-yard rushing performance on Monday Night Football, which is still the record for any Monday night game. In 1989, Jackson rushed for a total of 950 yards, with a 5.5 yards-per-carry average and four touchdowns. In 1990, he was selected to the Pro Bowl. He spent four seasons in the NFL before a hip injury ended his career in 1991.

Jackson became a popular figure in the 1980s and 1990s with his "Bo Knows" Nike campaign, promoting a cross-training athletic shoe named for him. Since then, he has made several television sitcom appearances and formed his own Bo Jackson Elite Sports Complex.

John Volanthen

In July of 2018, the world held its breath while British cave diver John Volanthen and his partner raced against time to find the 12-boy soccer team and coach trapped for 10 days in Thailand’s Tham Luang Cave.

With a passion for cave exploration that began in scouts at the age of 14, Volanthen went on to set world records in cave diving and to acquire an extremely rare level of expertise and skill. As volunteers for multiple cave diving rescue organizations, he and diving partner Rick Stanton were known as one of the world’s most accomplished cave-diving and rescue teams, and they were among the first experts brought to Thailand to support the rescue operation. Ultimately, they were the first to reach the stranded boys—after which they helped plan and carry out the incredibly dangerous and painstaking effort to save all thirteen lives.

In John’s riveting multi-media presentation, audiences experience “the rescue of the century” firsthand. A quiet man who initially resisted all interview requests, Volanthen repeatedly found himself wanting people to understand that it wasn’t a question of luck, or miracles, or even heroism—he was an ordinary person. In his 30 years of cave exploration and rescue work he had become convinced that the ability to respond effectively in times of crisis and uncertainty can be learned by anyone. In his book and with audiences around the world, he shares the lessons of diligent preparation, deliberate focus and decisive leadership that he believes are critical to any success.

Volanthen captured the dramatic story of the Tham Luang Cave rescue in his book, Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives—a story that also inspired The Rescue, an award-winning documentary from National Geographic. In 2022, his book moves to the silver screen in the major motion picture Thirteen Lives, directed by Ron Howard with Colin Farrell playing the part of John Volanthen.